What? Water samples are being collected in various wetlands in Cape Breton Highlands National Park. When? The monitoring frequency for wetland water quality is annually with samples being collected in the spring of the year. How? Water samples are collected from wetland monitoring wells that have been installed for monitoring purposes using a bailer. Why? Water quality is a globally accepted and widely used measure for assessing the condition of freshwater ecosystems and has a pivotal effect on the integrity of aquatic and wetland ecosystems. The physical and chemical characteristics of the water in wetland systems have a strong influence on wetland biota and system processes. Additionally, many of the primary stressors to freshwater processes are reflected in changes to wetland water quality (ie. acidification, eutrophication, deforestation). Changes in wetland water quality may provide an early warning of environmental stress to aquatic ecosystems.